This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Firefox always starts with previous session's pages loaded

  • 6 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 29 views
  • Last reply by google2

more options

On my S7 with Android 8.0, every time I start Firefox (even after rebooting the phone), it loads the previous session's pages. In several places I have read that I should click on the three bar menu icon in the top corner and select "options". I have a 3 dot (not bar) icon. When I click on it, I get a menu that includes "settings" but there is no "options". The menu I do get has, "New tab, New private tab, History, ... Settings, Help"

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

On my S7 with Android 8.0, every time I start Firefox (even after rebooting the phone), it loads the previous session's pages. In several places I have read that I should click on the three bar menu icon in the top corner and select "options". I have a 3 dot (not bar) icon. When I click on it, I get a menu that includes "settings" but there is no "options". The menu I do get has, "New tab, New private tab, History, ... Settings, Help" Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Chosen solution

Firefox menu wordings generally reflect the OS maker's guidelines. Windows uses Options, Mac and Linux use Preferences, etc.

Anyway, I think the "setting" you want is here:

menu icon > Settings > Advanced > Restore tabs

Did that work?

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (6)

more options

That is normal on Firefox for Android because the system can silently unload the browser so it is very protective of open tabs. However, if you close a tab, Firefox shouldn't re-open it automatically. Are you having a problem with that, or you just prefer Firefox for Android to have a worse memory?

more options

Thanks for your reply.

I have another S7 running Android 7.0 and it does not have that problem at all. On the problem S7 it seems to totally ignore the home page setting. Surely that is never normal behavior. Why would Firefox for Android have a home page setting that is always ignored.

When I shut down Firefox I want it to totally forget open tabs (except in "History").

Modified by google2

more options

Chosen Solution

Firefox menu wordings generally reflect the OS maker's guidelines. Windows uses Options, Mac and Linux use Preferences, etc.

Anyway, I think the "setting" you want is here:

menu icon > Settings > Advanced > Restore tabs

Did that work?

more options

Thanks. That sort of solved the problem. :-) On both my S7's the home page is set to about:home but this gives different results on the two phones.

On one phone the home page brings up a horizontal menu bar with selections of TOP SITES, BOOKMARKS, and HISTORY. TOP SITES is selected. This is exactly what I want.

On the other S7 the horizontal menu bar contains only HISTORY. There is no other choice. I must have done something to cause this while I was trying to solve the other problem. TOP SITES is what I want but is does not show so I can't select it.

Modified by google2

more options

Try here:

menu button > Settings > General > Home

Then there's a Panels section where you can re-enable missing panels.

Success?

more options

Thank you so much. The "restore tabs" and then your help re-enabling the panel totally solved the problem.